Zalo's Vanabode Log

[BRUTE]

@Olaz: yea, there seem to be 2 groups of van-dwelling humans. hipsters who go on vacation in a tricked-out new sprinter van, and humans shit out of luck who can't afford rent in their area.

there are plenty of shit out of luck humans that post their van videos on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgC2t ... 7jVUaY9mzg
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY0mtd ... _kHcJUIHdg

brute has found it strangely relaxing to watch these poor humans talk into the camera, alone. maybe it's akin to misery porn.

[bryan]

@BRUTE, how do you know those folks are lacking money? They say as much, I guess? They sound pretty capable as far as I can tell. Thanks for the links though. Think I've seen a couple videos from those channels but hadn't subscribed.

Reminds me to remind @Zalo or any van-builders to be health conscious while building (or generally breathing) in the van. Higher likelihood of a high density of harmful particles in that small air-space; some stuff that doesn't get much talk in traditional home builds. There are cases of tiny house builds where the folks died from sleeping in the house before the insulation had de-gassed, iirc.

[luxagraf]

Reminds me to remind @Zalo or any van-builders to be health conscious while building (or generally breathing) in the van. Higher likelihood of a high density of harmful particles in that small air-space; some stuff that doesn't get much talk in traditional home builds. There are cases of tiny house builds where the folks died from sleeping in the house before the insulation had de-gassed, iirc.

This is a really good point I don't see brought up nearly enough in the various Van/RV forums on the web.

We spent quite a lot of time researching the environmental impact (i mean like inside of your van environmental impact, though what's better for you inside is often better in the big picture as well) to avoid off gassing from insulation, flooring, wood sealant, paint, etc. In a house I probably wouldn't be as concerned, but when you're in such a confined space with this stuff I think the extra money for less toxic materials is well worth it (and in our case only worked out to be marginally more expensive, maybe 1.3X).

@ego - Thanks for the link.

@brute - There's always more than two groups. I believe I'm way to old to be a hipster and not really down and out either.

[BRUTE]

@BRUTE, how do you know those folks are lacking money? They say as much, I guess?

yes, mentioned somewhere in the videos.

[C40]

@Olaz: yea, there seem to be 2 groups of van-dwelling humans. hipsters who go on vacation in a tricked-out new sprinter van, and humans shit out of luck who can't afford rent in their area.

Which am I ?

[BRUTE]

hipster who goes on vacation

[C40]

Sweet

[theanimal]

Just like with the financial aspects of ERE, I think it's useful to approach van living from the ground up. Don't start at a house and try to apply that to a van. Start with the clothes on your back and see what's essential to live in a van. Add, don't subtract.

I should also point out that minivans are another option. In my opinion, they are the most stealthy vehicle as you can park anywhere (i.e. residential streets) without raising the same suspicions as you would with a cargo van. M741's journal and blog has some good info on this. He travelled for a few months around the US in his minivan.

I'm currently travelling from Chicago back to AK in my minivan. I haven't had a real chance to develop it yet. But I have a mattress in the back and if I were to elevate it I'd have plenty of storage space. There is a little less room than a cargo van, but might be a better option for someone wishing to spend more time outside the van. The Office Hobo (see officehobo.com or .net ?) lives out of the back of a covered pickup bed. Cargo vans are not the only option.

[bryan]

@Olaz, First point I think it might be folks trying to cash in on some advertising revenue, passive income. The idea of living in a van w/ the expenses paid by people looking at your pictures/videos/blog (or sponsorships?) is kind of appealing. I don't see too much harm, even if van-dwelling is just a temporary exercise (unless we end up with a glut of new vans in the junkyard one day)?

I found www.hoboahle.com/ recently. If you go to the youtube, instagram, and patreon it becomes clear that she is becoming quite successful at the above. Main draw seems to be her attractiveness?

[BRUTE]

seems to happen in many niches, some kind of patreon-prostitution.

[C40]

I found http://www.hoboahle.com/ recently. If you go to the youtube, instagram, and patreon it becomes clear that she is becoming quite successful at the above. Main draw seems to be her attractiveness?

Oh yeah. If that girl actually starts living and traveling in her van (especially if solo), she will blow up big time. Like 500k or more followers/subscribers. You can't really fault the girl. If my own good looks and impressive body could get me a ton of followers/income, I'd be all for it.

[C40]

Here you go, Olaz. I took a bunch of pictures of vans at the RTR. Dream away:

Rigs of the RTR

[bryan]

Very cool...

This channel might get good: https://youtu.be/NmHrwU_4ksg?t=6m36s (though I don't like the make-fun attempts, we'll see if he can avoid that in the future)... Seems to be a guy pulling popular or intriguing recent videos and reporting on it.. let us all know if there are better, must subscribe channels.

[7Wannabe5]

I am kind of envious because I am still too chicken to live in my camper due to the perfect storm of the fact that it is not as secure as my apartment, my vacant lots are in a sketchier neighborhood than my apartment, and I would also have to be somewhat stealthy. Every few weeks I suggest to my BF that he move into my camper with me, and I would only charge him $59/month rent, but he always says "No." He also thinks I am "f*cking insane" to ride my bike through some of the nearby neighborhoods.

I am also still in procrastination mode about to what extent I should try to redeem the 1970s utilities already in the camper vs. replace them. The tiny window, heavy metal structure makes my vintage model an ideal storage locker for my garden tools, but leaves me with only the small entry door for possible exit if there is a fire.

If I did move into my camper, my shelter expenses would be only around $30/month plus propane, including enough garden space to potentially grow enough kilocalories of food to feed myself.

[James_0011]

@7wannabe5

Buy a handgun, problem solved

[rfgh]

And a class on how to safely (for you and bystanders) use it. Or just large men's boots left by the door, a bat, and some bear spray (don't spray it into the wind!). Don't underestimate how difficult it is to grow enough of all the nutrients you need, though.

[7Wannabe5]

@James_0011: Naaah, I'm pretty much the person most likely to have a gun ripped out of her hands before she could pull the trigger. However, I could take the shield off of my battery-powered line trimmer.

@rfgh: I would choose to advertise my presence, so I could avoid interacting with random semi-harmless vandals, but then I would worry about getting busted for some kind of zoning violation. It is legal for me to park my camper on my lot because I have a valid plate on it, and I am grandfathered in under a local clause that was meant to apply to ice cream trucks, but taking up residence might be pushing it. I started building an arbor that would have offered some cover, but the building inspector thought it looked too much like a fence, so he posted a notice to stop construction.

I'm not going to try to grow all the nutrients I need, just a kilocalorie equivalent with which I shall also barter. I might buy another lot just over the city line so that I can keep some goats. Then I could also have my camper towed back and forth occasionally in semi-evasive manuever. I usually stay or travel with my BF about half the time, so maybe that will randomize it enough. I am also going to try to get organized enough next gardening season that I can kind of do a sort of extended family/friends co-operative CSA sort of thing.

[rfgh]

You may consider getting the soil tested for harmful chemicals. Good luck.

[bryan]

ooooo, pretty: https://youtu.be/dO22Uv-PQXQ?t=9m46s

He seems to have slightly prioritized coffee for some of his space. Something I was also thinking of doing (I could have a small cash, hobby business of selling/roasting/making coffee on the most profitable of occasions). Generally you only have enough room to devote to one or two hobbies, so it's a good idea to have those hobbies fitting into some larger system (is there a word like, synergy, used in systems theory or permaculture to express this?)

I like the wind energy idea (great for a lot of the western US; not as stealth though). I've been leaning toward doing wind energy over solar (as it's utilization would be slightly more in-phase with my energy usage (which reduces energy storage requirements), plus it's more modular and easy to move about). Also I expect PVC prices to continue to drop over time so wind-first seems the marginally better investment. If you are stealth camping the turbine may take up some precious space versus solar? This resource has been handy for DIY wind and solar.